Celtic’s hopes of signing player permanently seem to be over

Celtic do not need to make major reinforcements to their squad over the course of the summer. But one area that they do need to strengthen in is defensive midfield. Scott Brown departed Parkhead last summer and Nir Bitton left, at the end of last season, saying goodbye to the Parkhead faithful on the day that they celebrated winning back the league from the Rangers.

Their departures in back-to-back summers has left a void that needs to be filled in this squad though, especially because of the struggles faced by the likes of Ismaila Soro, James McCarthy and Yosuke Ideguchi to break into the first-team picture.

Celtic will need a defensive midfielder next season, when they come up against top class opposition in the Champions League.

One player that they have been linked with heavily in recent weeks is Lommel SK’s Vinicius Souza. But chances of signing him on a permanent basis are slim to none, although a loan deal could still be on. As tweeted out by Anthony Joseph, the Belgian second division side value the Brazilian at a transfer fee around £8 million:

Celtic’s chances of signing the Brazilian on a permanent basis this summer seem as good as over

Celtic have already signed Cameron Carter-Vickers on a permanent deal from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal that could rise up to £10 million with add-ons. They are also believed to be ready to trigger the £6.4 million option to buy for Jota and are on the verge of signing Alexandro Bernabei in a £3.75 million deal from Lanus.

Thus, it would be wrong to expect the Hoops to make any more big money moves this summer, even though there are still a few more positions to fill in.

As a result, it would not be a bad idea to sign a few players on loan this summer, especially after seeing the success that the likes of Jota and Carter-Vickers enjoyed last time around, playing key roles in Celtic winning the Premiership and the League Cup.